ecspringer-84759 Reviews

Beverly Hills, 90210: My Desperate Valentine (1991) Season 2, Episode 16

A Fatal Attraction A Poor Performance

[9/10 · 27 December 2023]

In this episode of Beverly Hills 90210, Brandon Walsh ( Jason Priestley ) is in a horrifying situation when he's trying to break up with his girlfriend Emily Valentine ( Christine Elise ).

In a previous episode, Emily talks the gang into going to an underground club, and this leads to a rather stupid decision that involves Emily spiking Brandon's drink with a drug called Euphoria, which was actually a drug called Ecstasy.

Brandon would later feel the effects of what Emily gave him, and in the end Brandon would have a horrible experience with the whole night and the drug that has been forced upon him.

The situation leads into the events in this episode, Brandon has decided that it's for the best he and Emily break the relationship between them off, this includes being friends, at least for now, but Emily can't handle the situation and pretty much goes all Fatal Attraction on Brandon, such as threats typed on a typewriter belonging to Emily, the motorcycle that Emily drives, her tires are slashed, but only by her, just to get any sympathy from Brandon and his family, which gives her reason to stay at the Walsh house, by pretending that her parents are out of town.

Emily does things such as wearing Brandon's favorite baseball shirt, only to push the envelope more, this would later result into phone calls, much like the film Fatal Attraction, Emily uses the same tactic of calling the Walsh home and hanging up, then when the situation escalates into the fact that Brandon finally snaps on Emily, she threatens to burn down the homecoming float that the gang worked hard on, at the Walsh house.

While the 90210 cast are great as they always are in all the episodes, it's Christine Elise's performance that nearly makes this a little too comical, her acting is poor, but her previous episodes were pretty much the same, she's the most annoying character in the series, Emily Valentine certainly was the worst character the series had, when she disappeared, that was the best thing her character ever did!

Kate & Allie: If She Goes, I Go (1985) Season 2, Episode 14

An Episode That Obviously Homages I Love Lucy

[10/10 · 12 September 2023]

In this particular episode, Kate basically helps Allie land a part time job at the travel agency that Kate works for, but sadly, Allie makes an honest mistake, which upsets the boss of the agency, and Kate, being the dear best friend she is to Allie, she basically stands up to Mr. Sloan, but things go wrong from here, when Kate repeats the story and her great speech to tell off her boss, for how he mistreated Allie over the situation, it gets to the point where Allie can repeat each word that Kate said to her boss, this episode obviously homages I Love Lucy, because the same scenario applies in the episode No Children Allowed, when a neighbor complained of Little Ricky keeping her awake, and the tenant reminded Ethel of the lease both her and the Riccardos signed, and Ethel tells off the neighbor, then repeated the same story, to the point where Lucy was able to repeat it along with Ethel, word for word.

This episode of Kate and Allie definitely homages one of TV's finest sitcoms of all time!

Dark Victory (1939)

A Victorious Film!

[10/10 · 11 May 2023]

Of all the films Bette Davis ever did, this movie certainly should be in a top 10 list, I feel that this movie would be at a very strong #2, next to All About Eve.

Bette Davis pulls a great performance in this movie about a young lady who sees her life coming to an end, due to an illness she has.

In this film, we get George Brent, who plays a doctor as well as the love interest to Bette Davis.

George Brent did several films with Bette Davis, and they always had great chemistry in each film, this movie is no exception. Humphrey Bogart also stars in this film, as well as an up and coming president of the United States, and that would be Ronald Regan, and at this time in his life, politics were long off, but here, Ronald gives a delightful performance with Bette Davis. Geraldine Fitzgerald, who was a new comer at the time, pairs up nicely with Bette Davis!

Dark Victory is one film that is a great introduction to Bette Davis, if one has never seen any movie she has done. This movie has great dramatic moments, light humor and is also great on the romantic side, but to see why, one should see the movie instead of being told.

Dark Victory was in high competition with Gone With The Wind and The Wizard Of Oz when it came out in 1939, and even though it didn't see a win in the Oscar's department, it was a film Bette Davis was very proud of and it remains a fan favorite as well.

A movie that is well casted, well directed and it is one that may even bring on the tears, it's very worn viewing.

One Day at a Time: Chicago Rendezvous (1975) Season 1, Episode 2

Ann Is Such Double Standard Person!

[2/10 · 24 March 2023]

In this episode, Ann who is recently divorced, is asked by a man to take a trip to Chicago.

Ann's divorce lawyer, David has somewhat of a relationship with her, and she runs to ask him if she should should go to Chicago with another man named Steve, but knowing how David feels about her, she has the audacity to rub it in David's nose about this trip, however, in other episodes, Ann and David have romantic moments.

Ann often does the double standard situation, trying to raise her daughters one way, yet showing bad examples of a mother.

It's true, those who do get a divorce, they go through the same thing as those who break up in a non married situation, and one does often try to find themselves when a relationship or in this case, a marriage, comes to an end.

I don't think this is the worst episode, but it's not a great episode either, only because of the mother acting like she has no moral nor does she care about the feelings of others, specifically David.

The Last House on the Left (1972)

It's Only A Movie, But It Definitely Needed Improvement

[5/10 · 3 September 2022]

The Last House On The Left is really the beginning of what was later to come in this type of horror, monsters and Dracula were now becoming a thing of the past, and horror was taking a new direction by making the average person to be the scariest monster of all.

The Last House On The Left really sets the bar for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which would come out a couple years later. This film depicted 4 bizarre people who tortured 2 young teenage girls, much like Texas Chainsaw would, except we don't get people who save dead people and eat human flesh, but as far as the torture that takes place over night, Chainsaw would later take from this and go much further and deeper into the macabre. In 1978, a film entitled I Spit On Your Grave would also take from Last House, in which the victim of rape gets her revenge, however, in Last House, the murdered daughter of the parents get the revenge and torture the 4 insane people in this film.

The story itself of Last House is a great idea, and a master of horror, Wes Craven was involved in this particular film, his main credits, Nightmare On Elm Street and Scream would later show his brilliance, but the journey begins here.

Two young girls in the 1970s, on their way to a rock concert are having the time of their lives, after all, it's Mari's birthday. Phyllis decides, like any teenager of the 70s would have, to find some "grass", which was a term used often for Marijuana, but their mistake is, asking a total stranger, one of the four who have escaped prison, and they are led to the remaining three bizarre people. The young ladies are just barely inside of the house before everything breaks loose. Rape takes place nearly at the start of the girls being in the house, afterwards, it all becomes insane torture.

The film is a good idea, Wes Craven did have to start somewhere, and i think anyone would agree that this film was a great place to start, because as mentioned, it sets the bar for many horror films that follow, but the musical scores in this film are really bizarre and seem more comical than scary, and this also applies to the two police officers in the film, they make Sheriff Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife of The Andy Griffith Show more realistic, the two officers actually remind me of the silly cops on The Dukes Of Hazzard.

After the two girls have been raped, tortured and beaten, they both due, each young lady dies differently. The bizarre foursome all clean up and make themselves look normal, as normal as it is possible for these people to look. They end up, not knowing that they have landed at the home of Mari, the last of the two girls to die, and much like what comes with I Spit On Your Grave, the group gets a taste of their own medicine when Mari's parents discovered they killed their daughter and her friend, Mari's parents set up vengeful acts and gives these criminals much of what they deserve.

For film goers in 1972, when this film came out, it was definitely a shocking experience, and it probably made a generation of young people think that it's not always a good idea to interact with strangers you don't know, and it introduced a brand new line of horror, but this film really didn't age well, and younger people today would probably find it humorous, due to its whacky film score, but a remake of this film would eventually come along, but I definitely think it's worth viewing, especially for anyone who's interested in films, the horror genre and especially if you are a film student, this is definitely a great opportunity to see that even a master of horror had to start somewhere.

I gave the film a five star rating because of the ridiculous musical score and two police officers who seem like a comedy team vs being the heroes they could have been. Yes, as my title suggests, which comes from the original trailer of this film, it's only a movie, but in my opinion, it definitely needed improvement.

The Dollanganger Saga: Petals on the Wind (2014) Season 1, Episode 2

This Could Have Been Better

[5/10 · 23 April 2022]

Jumping 10 years in this movie wasn't such a great idea. The book is always better as they generally say, but some people do have a hard time reading, so usually a movie is a shortcut, and this movie certainly took too many shortcuts itself!

In the beginning of this very book, it picked up immediately after the first book, Flowers In The Attic, and this production could have done just that, because it leaves out Doctor Sheffield, who was an important part of the story, at least in the beginning, because he took in 3 children who needed the care and help.

The woman who meets Christopher, Cathy and Carrie is deaf in the book, she wasn't in this particular film.

As for the filming, it's filmed great in my opinion, very well acted, but if you really want to know the depth of this continuing saga, read the book after seeing the movie, I guarantee you will love the book much more.

Mama's Family: Harper Versus Harper (1984) Season 2, Episode 18

No Objections In This Episode

[10/10 · 9 September 2021]

Thelma ( or Mama ) has a vacuum cleaner that breaks down on her, while doing her daily cleaning, so, Vinton tells Mama to use Naomi's vacuum, which ends in disaster, as Mama is using it, it burns up, due to the set of keys that Naomi dropped on the precious rug that was willed to Thelma, from her mother.

Due to the fact that Thelma burns up the vacuum cleaner, the war between daughter in law and mother begins, each Mrs. Harper is going to sue each other, however, when it reaches the court, the Harper family basically is more than the judge can handle, it becomes one hilarious thing after another, and a calm judge becomes a frustrated judge and is ready to leave the court and get a beer once he has had enough of the Harper family and this crazy case! Aunt Fran ( Thelma's sister ) also has a hilarious moment, as she confesses to the judge, that she removed the under penalty of law tag on the rug!

This episode will leave you laughing hard before it's all over! Definitely one of my all favorite episodes in the entire series of Mama's Family!

Mask (1985)

An Excellent Performance For Every Cast Member

[10/10 · 22 August 2021]

Mask is a very touching story about a boy named Rocky Dennis, and no other actress could have pulled off playing the mother of this child but Cher.

Cher had only done a few movies up to this point, she had been very successful on The Sonny & Cher Show, which combined music and comedy, with big celebrity guest stars, but Cher had done movies as I previously mentioned, but this was the film that really shows Cher's dramatic side, and she pulled it off quite well!

Sam Elliot was one who hadn't done very many movies himself, but this film showed he could play not only a tough gut, but a tough guy with a heart of gold, his character Garr basically shows he was really the only father Rocky ever had. Garr is just as important to the film as anyone is in it, and Sam Elliot played well off of Cher, making them a great team!

Eric Stoltz deserves the most credit, since he portrayed Rocky Dennis. Eric's performance is not only touching, but memorable, and makes you fall in love with this high school kid who dealt with many obstacles in his life, but makes it seem so effortless, because his mother in real life wanted Rocky to have a normal life.

This film should be shown to those who have handicapped children or to classmates who have a classmate(s) with special needs, because it is important that we realize that they want to be treated like a normal person, and that people who have defects or handicaps are much more beautiful on the inside, this film did a wonderful job in showing us what this amazing boy was about.

Mask can certainly leave you crying if you have never seen it, but it has points of humor mixed in with the serious topic and it's a very triumphant piece of work, and every actor and actress in the film, no matter how big or small the role was, was just as much of a champion for their contribution to the film.

It's not exactly a family film, due to serious topics about drugs and alcohol, and the film uses harsh words at times, bit it's certainly one a parent should discuss with their child or children before watching it, I wouldn't suggest it to kids under 13, also this film teaches acceptance, which is something older kids 13 and up need to learn, and this film certainly would be a great teacher for that.

Mask is a great piece of work, it will leave you wanting to see it again and again!

The Golden Girls: The Days and Nights of Sophia Petrillo (1988) Season 4, Episode 2

One Of The Best Episodes In The Series

[10/10 · 12 July 2021]

To sum up the episode, Rose, Dorothy and Blanche pretty much waste a whole gloomy rainy day doing really much of nothing, but in the meantime, the ladies think Sophia has nothing to do, except for purchasing a nectarine at the local grocery store, but to in all honesty, Sophia actually accomplished more on the gloomy day than each of the ladies realize.

Instead of doing the usual compilation episode the series focuses on, it depicts Sophia on several situations throughout her day, she helps a friend get her money back on a package of meat by scamming the grocery store, it's cute and funny.

Sophia's next stop is to a group of elderly women who play in a small band that raises charity money, and she encourages the women to give their all and be spunky a bit with their performance, and the ladies see an overflow of cash in the hat they use to hold the money, meanwhile, the remaining ladies at home are eating and telling stories, as they usually do, but instead of it being night time, the ladies are doing what they normally do on this gloomy day.

The final situation Sophia has going on in her day, she is shown volunteering at a hospital, in which she has a special connection with one little boy who is HIV positive, though due to the times it was, it's not really said, but it's hinted in the conversation, which it's the first time this series brings up the topic, though it's not done as well as Designing Women did with it, it's still done very well, but The Golden Girls will later on tackle the topic in a much stronger episode.

Usually episodes of this particular nature are considered "fillers", but this episode really depicted that you may not know someone as well as you think, in Dorothy's case being her mother, and living with her, as well as the other two roommates, they really don't know everything about Sophia, and it covers just enough topics in this simple episode, and I personally feel it's probably one of the best Sophia episodes of the entire series.

Rain (1932)

A Must See For Any Joan Crawford Fan!

[10/10 · 11 July 2021]

Long before hits like Mildred Pierce, Joan Crawford was still quite new to talking films, even though she was a star at MGM, this film was the first time Crawford was loaned our. Sadly, this film didn't do so well, but I as a diehard Joan Crawford fan can see why, but not from the perspective of Crawford, because Joan Crawford gives her all as Sadie Thompson, I as the reviewer won't give anything away about this film, but I will say that there are a few actors and actresses who bog the film down a little bit, not being as good as the lead actor and Joan Crawford, and the film does deal with a very depressing place where the characters are at on an island that constantly deals with monsoon type of weather. In this film, you will see two sides of Sadie Thompson ( Joan Crawford ). Joan gives an excellent performance in the middle of the film when she tells off the preacher who accuses Sadie of being a sinner, when she's really just a gal who loves to live life as a free spirit, but you will learn that Sadie has a back story that will eventually rise up to haunt her.

Due to the fact Rain bombed at the box office, Crawford wasn't happy about it, but it's a really great performance being this early in her career and it's just the perfect vehicle for you as a Crawford fan to see her earliest work that would eventually evolve over time, you see a brilliant actress starting to become seasoned, and as a fan of Joan's, I suggest that you give this wonderful film a shot, and hopefully at some point, someone will re-release this movie on DVD fully remastered with special features and the commentary it fully deserves.

Good Times: The Dinner Party (1975) Season 2, Episode 19

A Topic That Isn't Really Funny

[10/10 · 5 July 2021]

In this episode, we meet a neighbor by the name of Gertie, but sadly, we never see this lady again. This episode deals with the Evans finding out that dear Gertie is having financial problems, and it's discovered when Michael learns that Gertie has been tossing empty dog food cans away, but it's Florida who breaks the news to Michael that Gertie doesn't have a dog, also, Willona knows about Gertie's situation, but doesn't reveal it to the Evans family, until after Florida mentions it. This episode is still very relevant today in 2021, because it's worse today than it was in the 70s. I personally feel this episode wasn't exactly funny, it's a very serious problem. In the scenes where we first meet Gertie, there are some great laughs with her, and as usual, the Evans and Wilona give us the usual laughs, but this topic turns very serious when Florida and the family decide to invite Gertie for dinner, but Gertie isn't aware that Florida made chicken for dinner, so like any guest, she brings a dish, which happens to be her "special meatloaf", but everyone, including Wilona swears it's dog food, and the scene gets outlandish with laughter, however, I personally feel the laughs were wrong. I realize these types of topics are dealt with in sitcoms with humor, but I think it should have been taken seriously without the laughter of the audience, but the reactions of each character was played out well, I just think this should have been taken a bit more dramatically. It's a great episode that should be shown, because at the end, Gertie reveals that she is doing all that she can to survive, and she also lets the Evans family in on something, that she may have to eat dog food, but she would never ask the Evans family to do so, and Gertie also realizes at the end that she can fix her situation.

The Golden Girls: Room Seven (1991) Season 7, Episode 10

Really One Of The Worst Episodes In The Series

[2/10 · 20 June 2021]

A grown woman, such as Blanche, holding on to a memory of a grandmother is not so wrong, but to act childish about it in her 60s is quite sad! Sophia claims she goes to heaven in the beginning of the episode should have been the focus of this particular episode, but instead we get crazy situations of Dorothy doing a bad imitation of a southern woman, Rose falls and acts dingier than ever in any episode of the series! Salvador makes an appearance twice in the episode, and the first time, Sophia acts like she doesn't recognize her own husband, which is crazy as well, Sophia may have recovered from a stroke when the series started, but she always recognized her beloved Salvador...in my opinion, the 7th season is the worst and it is so easy to see why Bea Arthur was ready to end the series.